View source for Yangtze giant softshell turtle

{{Short description|Critically endangered species of turtle}}
{{For|other species with similar names|Giant softshell turtle (disambiguation){{!}}Giant softshell turtle}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Yangtze giant softshell turtle
| image = Rùa Đồng Mô.jpg
| image_caption = One of the two ''R. swinhoei'' of Dong Mo, [[Son Tay]], Vietnam
| status = CR
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="icun">{{cite iucn |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39621/2931537 |title=Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle |author1=Fong, J. |author2=Hoang, H. |author3=Kuchling, G. |author4=Li, P. |author5=McCormack, T. |author6=Rao, D.-Q. |author7=Timmins, R.J. |author8=Wang, L. |year=2022 |accessdate=22 October 2022}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2
| status2_system = CITES
| status2_ref = <ref name="CITES">{{Cite web |title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
| genus = Rafetus
| species = swinhoei
| authority = ([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1873)
| synonyms = *''Oscaria swinhoei''<br />{{small|Gray, 1873}}
*''Yuen elegans''<br />{{small|[[Pierre Marie Heude|Heude]], 1880}}
*''Yuen leprosus''<br />{{small|Heude, 1880}}
*''Yuen maculatus''<br />{{small|Heude, 1880}}
*''Yuen pallens''<br />{{small|Heude, 1880}}
*''Yuen viridis''<br />{{small|Heude, 1880}}
*''Trionyx swinhonis''<br />{{small|[[George Albert Boulenger|Boulenger]], 1889}}
*''Pelodiscus swinhoei''<br />{{small|— [[Georg Baur|Baur]], 1893}}
*''Trionyx swinhoei''<br />{{small|— [[Friedrich Siebenrock|Siebenrock]], 1902}}
*''Amyda swinhoei''<br />{{small|— [[Robert Mertens|Mertens]], [[Lorenz Müller|L. Müller]] & [[species:Hans Theodor Rust|Rust]], 1934}}
*''Pelochelys taihuensis''<br />{{small|Zhang, 1984}}
*''Trionyx liupani''<br />{{small|Tao, 1986}}
*''Rafetus swinhoei''<br />{{small|— [[species:Peter Andre Meylan|Meylan]], 1987}}
*''Pelochelys maculatus''<br />{{small|— [[Zhao Er-mi|Zhao]], 1997}}
*''Pelochlys maculatus''<br />{{small|— Zhao, 1997}}
*''Rafetus leloii''<br />{{small|[[Ha Dinh Duc|Hà Dình Dúc]], 2000}}<br />(''[[nomen nudum]]'')
*''Rafetus hoankiemensis''<br />{{small|[[species:Bernard Devaux|Devaux]], 2001}}<br />(''nomen nudum'')
| synonyms_ref = <ref name="Fritz 2007">{{Cite journal |journal=Vertebrate Zoology |title=Checklist of Chelonians of the World |year=2007 |author=Fritz, Uwe |author-link=species:Uwe Fritz |author2=Havaš, Peter |author2-link=species:Peter Havaš |volume=57 |issue=2 |pages=321–322 |doi=10.3897/vz.57.e30895 |issn=1864-5755 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
| range_map = Rafetus2.png
| range_map_caption = Yangtze giant softshell turtle range
}}

The '''Yangtze giant softshell turtle''' ('''''Rafetus swinhoei''')'', also known [[Common name|commonly]] as the '''Red River giant softshell turtle''', the '''Shanghai softshell turtle''', the '''speckled softshell turtle''', and '''Swinhoe's softshell turtle''', is an extremely rare [[species]] of [[turtle]] in the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Trionychidae]]. It may be the largest living freshwater turtle in the world. The species is native to eastern and southern [[China]] and northern [[Vietnam]]. With a known population of only two or three individuals,<ref name="icun">{{cite iucn |url=https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/39621/2931537 |title=Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle |author1=Fong, J. |author2=Hoang, H. |author3=Kuchling, G. |author4=Li, P. |author5=McCormack, T. |author6=Rao, D.-Q. |author7=Timmins, R.J. |author8=Wang, L. |year=2022 |accessdate=22 October 2022}}</ref> and with the last known females dying out, this species is considered [[functionally extinct]].

==Description==
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is noted for its deep head with a pig-like snout and [[dorsally]] placed eyes. This critically endangered species holds the title of being the largest freshwater turtle in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416213653.htm |title=Almost Extinct Turtle Discovered Living In Wild In Northern Vietnam |publisher=ScienceDaily |access-date=2014-06-16}}</ref> Although hard to compare due to the extremely small number of remaining specimens, its average and maximum sizes seem to exceed other large freshwater turtles such as [[alligator snapping turtle]]s and related giant softshells such as other ''Rafetus'' and ''[[Pelochelys]]'' species.<ref>Dudgeon D (2010). "Requiem for a river: extinctions, climate change and the last of the Yangtze". ''Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems'' '''20''' (2): 127-131.</ref> It measures over {{Convert|100|cm|in|abbr=on}} in overall length and to {{Convert|70|cm|in|abbr=on}} in width, and can easily weigh up to {{Convert|70|–|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130703-china-yangtze-giant-softshell-turtle-animal-science/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707031459/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130703-china-yangtze-giant-softshell-turtle-animal-science |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 7, 2013 |title=World's Largest Freshwater Turtle Nearly Extinct |publisher=National Geographic |date=2013-07-01 |access-date=2014-07-22}}</ref> The average size of large turtle specimens (i.e. turtles weighing over {{convert|10|kg|lb|abbr=on}}) that could be collected in the [[Yangtze River]] per one study was {{convert|25|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, although not all specimens were definitively identified as ''Rafetus''.<ref>Jian W, Hai-Tao S, Cheng W, Lian-Xian H (2013). "Habitat Selection and Conservation Suggestions for the Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (''Rafetus swinhoei'' ) in the Upper Red River, China". ''Chelonian Conservation and Biology'' '''12''' (1): 177-184.</ref> Its [[carapace]], or shell, can grow larger than {{Convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}}, with the largest shell that could be found having measured {{convert|86|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length.<ref>Le DM, [[Peter Pritchard|Pritchard P]] (2009). "Genetic variability of the critically endangered softshell turtle, ''Rafetus swinhoei'': a preliminary report". pp. 84-92. '''''In'':''' Ngo DC, Ta HT, Le NN, Hoang XQ, Vo VP, Nguyen VS, Nguyen VT, Le TT, Tran QD (eds.) (2009). ''Proceedings of the First National Science Workshop on Amphibians and Reptiles in Vietnam''. Hue: Hue University Press.</ref> However, along the curve carapace lengths of up to {{convert|106|cm|in|abbr=on}} have been reported and it is possible for the largest specimens (largely reported in [[Vietnam]]) to have weighed up {{convert|220|to|247.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Farkas 2011" /><ref name="Farkas Webb 2003" /> Its head can measure over {{Convert|20|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length and {{Convert|10|cm|in|abbr=on}} in width. The male is generally smaller than the female and has a longer, larger tail.<ref name="species">{{cite web |publisher=[[Asian Turtle Conservation Network]] |url=http://www.asianturtlenetwork.org/field_guide/Rafetus_swinhoei.htm |title=Species: ''Rafetus swinhoei '' |access-date=2006-12-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214052701/http://www.asianturtlenetwork.org/field_guide/Rafetus_swinhoei.htm |archive-date=2006-12-14}}</ref><!--these figures do not add up. Response:these are the figures provided on the website in the citation. I'm not sure what you mean anyways. Don't forget, no figures were provided for the tail!-->

==Known individuals==
Only two or three living individuals are known: one in China (captive) and one or two in Vietnam (wild).<ref name="Carrington">{{cite web |last1=Carrington |first1=Damian |title=Hopes for most endangered turtle after discovery of female in Vietnam lake |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/01/hopes-for-most-endangered-turtle-after-discovery-of-female-in-vietnam-lake |website=The Guardian |date=January 2021 |access-date=7 May 2022}}</ref> Following the deaths of a wild individual in Vietnam in January 2016 and a captive individual in China in 2019, the species is listed as [[Critically Endangered]] in the [[IUCN Red List]]. The female of the last breeding pair died at [[Suzhou Zoo]] in China in April 2019.<ref name="sohu2019">{{cite web |publisher=Sohu.com |date=2019-04-13 |url=http://3g.k.sohu.com/t/n357600181?showType=&sf_a=weixin |title=苏州动物园一只斑鳖人工受精后死亡，世界目前已知的仅剩三只 |language=zh |access-date=2019-04-14}}</ref><ref name="aljazeera">{{cite web |publisher=[[Al Jazeera English]] |date=2019-04-14 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/female-rare-turtle-species-dies-china-zoo-190414094329985.html |title='Last female' of rare turtle species dies in China zoo |access-date=2019-04-14}}</ref><ref name="dw19">{{Cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/cda/en/death-of-rare-yangtze-giant-softshell-turtle-leaves-3-remaining-in-the-world/a-48321971 |title=Death of rare Yangtze giant softshell turtle leaves 3 remaining in the world |last=Shams |first=Shamil |website=DW.COM |language=en-GB |access-date=2019-04-16}}</ref> A wild female was discovered in Vietnam on October 22, 2020; however, this last wild female was found dead in early 2023.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=World's Most Endangered Turtle Gets Some Good News In 2020 |url=https://newsroom.wcs.org/News-Releases/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15641/Worlds-Most-Endangered-Turtle-Gets-Some-Good-News-In-2020.aspx |access-date=2020-12-19 |website=newsroom.wcs.org |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=New discovery gives world's most endangered turtle a fighting chance |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/wildlife-biodiversity/new-discovery-gives-world-s-most-endangered-turtle-a-fighting-chance-78278 |access-date=2021-08-09 |website=www.downtoearth.org.in |date=4 August 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Carrington" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite magazine |date=2023-04-28 |title=Rare, Revered Reptile on Brink of Extinction After Last Female Dies |url=https://time.com/6275373/giant-yangtze-softshell-turtle-female-dies/ |access-date=2023-05-06 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref> Another individual is believed to have been sighted in the same area.

==Geographic range==
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle has been known to inhabit the [[Yangtze River]] and [[Lake Tai]], situated on the border of [[Jiangsu]] and [[Zhejiang]] Provinces, in eastern China, and [[Gejiu]], [[Yuanyang County, Yunnan|Yuanyang]], [[Jianshui]] and [[Honghe County|Honghe]] in [[Yunnan Province]] in southern China.

A specimen at the [[Beijing Zoo]] died in 2005, and another one at the [[Shanghai Zoo]] died in 2006; both of them were caught at Gejiu in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=[[Turtle Survival Alliance]] |url=http://www.turtlesurvival.org/Rafetus%20Workshop%20Report.pdf |title=Draft Action Plan – ''Rafetus swinhoei '' |access-date=2006-12-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621110358/http://www.turtlesurvival.org/Rafetus%20Workshop%20Report.pdf |archive-date=June 21, 2007}}</ref> In 1999, 2000, and 2005, turtles re-emerged from Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi and were seen by a large audience and caught on film. Only a single turtle was believed to be left in the lake.<ref name="vnn" /> In April 2011, it was captured because it had open sores (possibly due to refuse and pollution in the lake, injuries from fishing hooks or other turtles) that needed to be treated.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=BBC |date=2011-04-03 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12952474 |title=Vietnam hauls in beloved turtle for medical treatment |access-date=2011-04-03}}</ref> It was reported dead in January 2016.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-35358979 Cu Rua: Vietnam mourns revered Hanoi turtle, ''BBC News'', 20 January 2016]</ref> On April 13, 2019, the only female turtle in Suzhou Zoo was reported dead shortly after the latest fertilization process.<ref name="sohu2019" /><ref name="aljazeera" /> In 2020, a new female was found in Vietnam's Dong Mo Lake, and it is believed that another individual (of unspecified gender) is also living in the lake. It is also discovered that there is also another individual living in the nearby Xuan Khanh Lake.<ref name="Carrington" /> The Dong Mo specimen died in April 2023, leaving the turtles at Suzhou Zoo (possibly Dong Mo Lake) as well as Xuan Khanh Lake as the last two/three recognized surviving members of this species.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-04-24 |title=Thế giới còn bao nhiêu cá thể rùa Hoàn Kiếm? |url=https://tienphong.vn/post-1528813.tpo |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=Báo điện tử Tiền Phong |language=vi}}</ref>

==Ecology and behaviour==
===Diet===
''R. swinhoei'' eats [[fish]], [[crab]]s, [[snail]]s, [[water hyacinth]], [[frog]]s, and [[green rice leafs|"green rice leaves"]].{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

===Reproduction===
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle may lay from 20 to more than 80 eggs. It nests at night and during the morning.<ref name="species" />

A fertile female from the [[Changsha Zoo]] was introduced to the only known male in China, a 100-year-old individual in the [[Suzhou Zoo]], in 2008. The female, who is over 80 years old, was said to settle in well after her 1000-kilometre (600-mile) move, and biologists were optimistic for breeding success. The move was coordinated by the [[Wildlife Conservation Society]] and the Turtle Survival Alliance.<ref>"[http://newswise.com/articles/view/541034/ Relocation of endangered Chinese turtle may save species]". ''Newswise''. Retrieved on June 30, 2008.</ref> In July 2013 [[National Geographic (magazine)|''National Geographic'']] reported that in the sixth breeding season for the Suzhou mating pair, 80 eggs have been laid, but none were fertile.<ref name="natgeo2013">{{cite web |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130703-china-yangtze-giant-softshell-turtle-animal-science/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130707031459/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/07/130703-china-yangtze-giant-softshell-turtle-animal-science |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 7, 2013 |title=World's Largest Freshwater Turtle Nearly Extinct |publisher=News.nationalgeographic.com |date=2013-07-01 |access-date=2014-06-16}}</ref>

=== Behavior ===
Despite its massive size and distinctive appearance, this species is extremely secretive and only rarely comes up to breathe, largely preferring to stay submerged deep underwater. This may be part of the reason why it is so difficult to positively identify and confirm wild sightings of this species.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://en.nhandan.org.vn/scitech/item/6033202-new-individual-of-world%E2%80%99s-rarest-turtle-in-the-wild-found-in-hanoi.html |title=New individual of world's rarest turtle found in Hanoi |access-date=2018-04-16 |language=en}}</ref>

==Relationship with humans==
===Scientific description and systematics===
[[File:Oscaria swinhoei - s4annalsmagazine12londuoft 0529.jpg|thumb|left|Illustration by [[George Henry Ford|G.H. Ford]], from Gray's original description, 1873]]
The species became known to Western science in 1873, when [[John Edward Gray]], the turtle expert at the [[British Museum]], described the specimen sent to him from [[Shanghai]] by English biologist [[Robert Swinhoe]].<ref>[[Species:Bo Beolens|Beolens, Bo]]; [[Species:Michael Watkins|Watkins, Michael]]; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. (''Rafetus swinhoei'', pp. 258-259).</ref> He named the species ''Oscaria swinhoei'', and described it as "the most beautiful species of Trionychidae that has yet occurred."<ref>[[John Edward Gray|Gray JE]] (1873).  "[https://archive.org/stream/s4annalsmagazine12londuoft#page/156/mode/2up Notes on Chinese Mud-Tortoises (Trionychidae), with the Description of a new Species sent to the British Museum by Mr. Swinhoe, and Observations on the Male Organ of this Family]". ''[[Annals and Magazine of Natural History]], Fourth Series'' '''12''': 156-161 + Plate V. (''Oscaria swinhoei'', new species, pp. 157-158 + Plate V).</ref>

In 1880, the Shanghai-based French [[Jesuit China missions|Jesuit]] [[Pierre Marie Heude]] obtained several specimens of this turtle, from the [[Huangpu River]] (near Shanghai) and [[Lake Tai]] (near Suzhou). He thought them sufficiently different from each other to describe them as five distinct species: ''Yuen leprosus'', ''Yuen maculatus'', ''Yuen elegans'', ''Yuen viridis'', and ''Yuen pallens''.<ref name="checklist">"''Rafetus swinhoei'' ". '''''In'':''' Fritz, Uwe; Havaš, Peter (2007). [http://www.cites.org/common/com/NC/tax_ref/Chelonians_Checklist_2006.pdf Checklist of Chelonians of the World] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623154530/http://cites.org/common/com/NC/tax_ref/Chelonians_Checklist_2006.pdf|date=2011-06-23}}, p. 182.</ref> The genus name, ''Yuen'', presumably comes from the Chinese 鼋 (transcribed ''yüen'' in the [[Wade-Giles]] system, or ''yuan'' in the modern [[Hanyu Pinyin]]), which means a large turtle.

Later zoologists classified these turtles as belonging to the genera ''[[Trionyx]]'', ''[[Pelodiscus]]'', and ''[[Pelochelys]]''; in 1987, Meylan categorized this species under the genus ''Rafetus''.<ref name="checklist" />

The placement of the related or conspecific [[Hoan Kiem turtle]], ''Rafetus leloii'', remains poorly known and controversial. Most herpetologists accept ''R. leloii'' is a [[junior synonym]] of the Yangtze giant softshell turtle,<ref name="Farkas Webb 2003">{{cite journal |vauthors=Farkas B, [[Robert G. Webb|Webb RG]] |year=2003 |title=''Rafetus leloii'' Hà Dinh Dúc, 2000—an invalid species of softshell turtle from Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam (Reptilia, Testudines, Trionychidae) |journal=Zoologische Abhandlungen |volume=53 |pages=107–112}}</ref> though some Vietnamese biologists, such as [[Ha Dinh Duc]], who first described ''R. leloii'', and Le Tran Binh, assert ''R. leloii'' to be distinct. Le points out genetic differences, as well as differences in morphology.<ref name="Le">{{cite web |last=Le |first=Tran Binh |title=COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGICAL AND DNA ANALYSIS OF SPECIMENS OF GIANT FRESHWATER SOFT-SHELLED TURTLE IN VIETNAM RELATED TO HOAN KIEM TURTLE |url=http://www.iucn-tftsg.org/wp-content/uploads/file/Articles/Le_etal_2010.pdf |access-date=17 February 2012}}</ref> However, Farkas et al. repeated their 2003 conclusion in 2011, attributing differences between specimens to age, and pointed out that the genetic sequences used were never sent to [[GenBank]]. They also criticized the fact that Le ''et al.'' violated [[ICZN Code]] by renaming the species from ''R. leloii'' to ''R. vietnamensis'' on the grounds of "appropriateness".<ref name="Farkas 2011">{{cite journal |last=Farkas |first=Balázs |author-link=species:Balázs Farkas |author2=Minh Duc Le |author2-link=species:Minh Duc Le |author3=Truong Quang Nguyen |author3-link=species:Truong Quang Nguyen |title=''Rafetus vietnamensis'' Le, Le, Tran, Phan, Phan, Tran, Pham, Nguyen, Nong, Phan, Dinh, Truong and Ha, 2010 – another invalid name for an invalid species of softshell turtle (Reptilia: Testudines: Trionychidae) |journal=Russian Journal of Herpetology |year=2011 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=65–72 |url=https://independent.academia.edu/BalazsFarkas/Papers/822333/Rafetus_vietnamensis_Le_Le_Tran_Phan_Phan_Tran_Pham_Nguyen_Nong_Phan_Dinh_Truong_and_Ha_2010_-_another_invalid_name_for_an_invalid_species_of_softshell_turtle_Reptilia_Testudines_Trionychidae_ |access-date=17 February 2012}}</ref>

===Key threats===
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is functionally extinct due to [[habitat loss]], legal overtrade, lack of legislation to control these wildlife trading, trafficking, the human food preferences,<ref name="What we have learned from Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle conservation">{{cite journal |last1=Al-Asif |first1=Abdulla- |last2=Hossain |first2=Amir |last3=Baruah |first3=Chittaranjan |last4=Abu Hena |first4=Mustafa Kamal |last5=Sharma |first5=D.K. |last6=Hamli |first6=Hadi |last7=Zaman |first7=Md. Farid Uz |title=A ray of hope in the darkness: What we have learned from Yangtze giant soft-shell turtle Rafetus swinhoei (Gray, 1873) conservation? |journal=Asian Journal of Conservation Biology |date=31 December 2022 |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=167–168 |doi=10.53562/ajcb.EN00022 |doi-access=free}}</ref> hunting for subsistence and local consumption, and the use of the carapace and bones in alternative medicine. Skulls are often kept as trophies.<ref name="species" /> A recent{{when|date=May 2018}} plan to build hydropower cascade of 12 dams on the Red River in China may flood all of its habitat and change the ecosystem of lower Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yn.xinhuanet.com/ynnews/2003-04/04/content_363921.htm |publisher=Yunnan Channel, Xinhua Net |title=红河干流梯级综合规划报告通过评审 |date=2003-04-04 |access-date=2008-09-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212095131/http://www.yn.xinhuanet.com/ynnews/2003-04/04/content_363921.htm |archive-date=2009-02-12}}</ref>

===Conservation efforts===
{{external media
| float  = right
| width  = 234px
| image1 = [https://static01.nyt.com/images/2015/05/26/science/26TURTLES/26TURTLES-superJumbo.jpg One individual in Suzhou Zoo, 2008].<ref name="Suzhou zoo individual photo" />
}}

==== Captive breeding ====
Conservation efforts are concentrated on breeding captive turtles in China and searching for live specimens in the wild. An agreement was made to transfer the only known remaining female specimen located at the Changsha Zoo to the Suzhou Zoo to breed with the male specimen there. Also, efforts are being made to improve conditions for breeding at both the Suzhou Zoo and Western Temple in Suzhou.
A workshop on the ''Rafetus'' Conservation at [[Yunnan]] was held by CI-Shanshui. Local Chinese scientists are searching for the last existent individuals.<ref name="asiaturtle2008">{{cite web |url=http://www.asianturtlenetwork.org/library/ATCN_news/2008_articles/Summary_of_a_workshop_in_the_Red_River_drainage_of_southern_China.html |publisher=Asian Turtle News |title=Workshop on ''Rafetus'' Conservation in the Honghe (Red River) Drainage Area |date=2008-05-30 |access-date=2008-09-10}}</ref> The two specimens were able to produce two clutches of eggs, with over half of them being fertile, though all of them perished before hatching.<ref name="tel2008">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/10/06/eaturtle106.xml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007143209/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/10/06/eaturtle106.xml |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-10-07 |work=The Daily Telegraph |location=London |title=Bid to save world's rarest turtles fails |first=Malcolm |last=Moore |date=2008-10-06 |access-date=2010-05-22}}</ref> The [[Turtle Survival Alliance]] released a statement saying, "A number of the eggs had very thin shells, suggesting that the diet of the animals prior to breeding was not optimal."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.turtlesurvival.org/news/attempt-to-breed-rafetus-in-captivity-ends-in-disappointment/ |title=Attempt to breed ''Rafetus'' in captivity ends in disappointment |date=2008-10-01 |website=Turtle Survival Alliance |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090614082536/http://www.turtlesurvival.org:80/news/attempt-to-breed-rafetus-in-captivity-ends-in-disappointment/ |archive-date=2009-06-14 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The two turtles were prepared for another round of mating, while being fed a high-calcium diet in an effort to strengthen the eggs. Liu Jinde, the director of the zoo said, "We've worked very hard on this, We ought to succeed. The turtles are very healthy."

The scientists began preparing to mate the two once again in May 2009, which fell within this species' breeding season,<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/world/asia/08turtle.html |title=Future of Giant Turtle Still Uncertain |last=Yardley |first=Jim |date=2008-10-07 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2008-10-09 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> but in the fall of 2009, the zoo announced that despite laying 188 eggs, the eggs were [[infertile]] and would not hatch.<ref name="eco">{{cite web |url=http://ecoworldly.com/2009/10/15/worlds-last-yangtze-turtle-pair-fails-to-reproduce-again |publisher=EcoWorldly |title=World's Last Yangtze Turtle Pair Fails to Reproduce, Again |date=2009-10-15 |access-date=2009-12-03}}</ref> The Turtle Survival Alliance issued a statement explaining the infertility was due in part to the turtle's poor diet and the group expressed concern that the zoo's patrons had thrown trash into the turtle's enclosure that, if eaten, could endanger the health of the turtles.<ref name="eco" /> On June 15, 2010, the female laid a total of 63 eggs. Half of the eggs were left in the sand to incubate naturally, while the other half were moved to incubate at varying temperatures and humidities. Once again, they were infertile.

In 2015 artificial insemination was attempted, a first for this species.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/26/science/yangtze-giant-softshell-turtle-artificial-insemination.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=mini-moth&region=top-stories-below&WT.nav=top-stories-below Artificial insemination] New York Times, Retrieved May 25. 2015</ref> In May 2015, the female was successfully inseminated. Semen was extracted from the sedated male using electro-ejaculation. By late July, the female had laid 2 clutches of eggs, totaling 89 eggs, but none were viable.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.turtlesurvival.org/blog/1/368#.Vbg4yv3bLcs |title=First Artificial Breeding Attempt for World's Rarest Turtle Unsuccessful |date=2015-07-22}}</ref> The female later died in April 2019 following another artificial insemination attempt.<ref name="sohu2019" /><ref name="aljazeera" /><ref name="dw19" />

==== Surveys for surviving specimens ====
As of mid-2017, conservationists are searching for any possible wild individuals in the remote parts of China. A major target of the survey are parts of the [[Red River (Asia)|Red River]] in [[Yunnan|Yunnan Province]]. Locals in the area have reported seeing 1-2 turtles that have a similar description to that of this species, meaning that there is a small possibility the species may still survive in the wild.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/yangtze-softshell-red-river-turtle-endangered/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523085809/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/yangtze-softshell-red-river-turtle-endangered/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2017 |title=There Are Only 3 of These Turtles Left on Earth |date=2017-05-23 |access-date=2017-06-02}}</ref> In Oct. 2018, the Asian Turtle Program announced that it was interviewing local people to collect data to guideline searches for ''R. swinhoei'' in the very large area of flooded valleys formed by damming the [[Black River (Asia)|Da River]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.asianturtleprogram.org/pages/other_pages/2018-10-Lai_Chau_interview_survey/2018-Lai_Chau_interview_survey_EN.htm |title=Interview surveys in northern Vietnam look for remaining Swinhoe's softshell turtles in the wild |website=www.asianturtleprogram.org |access-date=2019-04-15}}</ref>

==== Rediscovered individuals ====
In April 2018, conservationists confirmed the existence of a second wild individual in Xuan Khanh Lake, Vietnam. The individual was photographed two times in 2012 and 2017, but both times the photograph was blurry and provided little confirmation of its identity. Using traces of the turtle's DNA in the lake's water, the specimen's identity was confirmed as ''R. swinhoei''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/population-of-worlds-rarest-giant-turtle-rises-to-4-with-new-discovery/ |title=Population of world's rarest giant turtle rises to 4 with new discovery |website=news.mongabay.com |language=en-US |access-date=2018-04-16 |date=2018-04-13}}</ref>   In Nov. 2018, it was announced that a second, smaller individual of ''R. swinhoei'' also lives in Dong Mo Lake; this individual had long been confused with the larger turtle until the summer of 2018, when both turtles were seen raising their heads out of the water at the same time.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.asianturtleprogram.org/pages/rafetus/2018-11-another_Rafetus/2018-11-another_Rafetus-EN.html |title=More than one individual of Swinhoe's Softshell Turtle living in Dong Mo lake? |website=www.asianturtleprogram.org |access-date=2019-04-15}}</ref> In 2020, a survey at Dong Mo managed to capture one of the turtles and obtain genetic samples, and found that it was a female, representing the first known female ''R. swinhoei'' since the death of the captive female in 2019.<ref name=":1" /> This female died from unknown causes in early 2023.<ref name=":3" />

There are also several other modern accounts of surviving individuals of ''R. swinhoei'', although most of these are unverified or have not been followed up on. Following the creation of the [[Madushan Dam]] in China's Yunnan Province, local fishermen regularly reported sightings of one to two very large softshell turtles in the reservoir. However, extensive surveys in 2016 and 2017 were unsuccessful in finding any such turtles.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/9882-The-hunt-for-the-Madushan-Monster |title=The hunt for the Madushan Monster |website=www.chinadialogue.net |date=26 June 2017 |language=en |access-date=2019-04-18}}</ref> At some point prior to 2015, a survey team from the conservation group Turtle Island apparently managed to locate an individual of ''R. swinhoei'' in a section of the Red River between two reservoirs. However, the individual was never trapped and was at high risk of being caught by fishermen.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2019-04-18 |title=The Yangtze Softshell Turtle – TURTLE ISLAND |url=http://www.turtle-island.at/en/projekte/the-yangtze-softshell-turtle/ |access-date=2023-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418195242/http://www.turtle-island.at/en/projekte/the-yangtze-softshell-turtle/ |archive-date=2019-04-18 }}</ref> Another search by the same group found a pond in [[Laos]] where a ''R. swinhoei'' had apparently lived for over 45 years before a monsoon in 2013, during which the individual moved to a nearby river and was never seen again.<ref name=":0" />

==The legend of Kim Qui==
[[File:Kim Qui and the Restored Sword (Hoan Kiem) in ceramics.jpg|thumb|Depiction of Kim Qui receiving the [[Heaven's Will]] Sword (Hoan Kiem)]]
{{main|Hoan Kiem turtle}}

The specimen (which may be a distinct species ''R. leloii'') located in Hoan Kiem Lake, in Hanoi is thought to be the legendary ''[[Kim Qui]]'' ([[wikt:金|金]][[wikt:龜|龜]]), or Golden Turtle God, who has appeared at opportune moments throughout Vietnamese history. The golden turtle first appeared during the reign of King [[An Dương Vương]] (257–207 BC) and assisted the king in the construction of defenses for the ancient capital of [[Co Loa Thanh|Co Loa]]. When Co Loa was attacked, Kim Qui assisted the king in making a magical cross-bow that massively rained arrows upon the invaders in only a single shot. When the King's daughter conspired against her father, Kim Qui emerged again to inform An Duong Vuong of the betrayal; the king consequently killed his daughter and drowned himself in the sea.<ref name="vnn">{{cite web |publisher=VietNamNet Bridge |year=2005 |url=http://english.vietnamnet.vn/features/2005/04/406255/ |title=Hoan Kiem Lake Turtle: from myth to reality |access-date=2006-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207214309/http://english.vietnamnet.vn/features/2005/04/406255/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=2006-12-07}}</ref>

In the 15th century, a gentry named [[Lê Lợi]] obtained a magical sword named [[Heaven's Will]] that a fisherman had pulled out of the lake. Lê Lợi used this sword to lead a rebellion against the [[Fourth Chinese domination (History of Vietnam)|Chinese armies that were in occupation of Vietnam]]. After overthrowing the Chinese rule and establishing the [[Lê dynasty]], the now-emperor Lê Lợi returned to the lake and Kim Qui emerged, then asked Lê Lợi to return the sword. The King drew the sword and hurled it toward Kim Qui. Kim Qui quickly caught the sword by his teeth, then submerged. Lê Lợi afterwards named the lake 'Lake of Returning Sword', or Hoan Kiem.<ref name="vnn" />

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name="Suzhou zoo individual photo">{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27020538|title=Rare elderly turtles fail to produce offspring|date=2008|website=NBC News|access-date=2023-12-21}}</ref>

}}

==Further reading==
*[[Species:Peter Andre Meylan|Meylan PA]] ({{when|date=April 2019}}). "''Rafetus swinhoei'' ". '''''In'':''' [[Peter Pritchard|Pritchard P]], [[Species:Anders Gunnar Johannes Rhodin|Rhodin AGJ]] (eds.). ''The Conservation Biology of Freshwater Turtles.'' {{where|date=April 2019}}: [[IUCN]] Publications.
*Meylan PA, [[Robert G. Webb|Webb RG]] (1988). "''Rafetus swinhoei'' (Gray) 1873, a valid species of living soft-shelled turtle (family Trionychidae) from China". ''Journal of Herpetology'' '''22''': 118–119.

==External links==
{{Wikispecies|Rafetus swinhoei}}
{{Commons category|Rafetus swinhoei}}
<!-- a lot of these links could be incorporated as refs -->
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/world/asia/05turtle.html China's Turtles, Emblems of a Crisis - ''The New York Times'']
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061214052701/http://www.asianturtlenetwork.org/field_guide/Rafetus_swinhoei.htm Species: ''Rafetus swinhoei'' - Asian Turtle Conservation Network]
*[https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/the-loneliest-animals/video-the-last-living-pair-of-rafetus-turtles/4901/#comment-9335 Video: The Loneliest Animals - "The Last Living Pair of Rafetus Turtles" - ''PBS'']
* {{cite magazine |last1=Kolbert |first1=Elizabeth |title=Climate Change and the New Age of Extinction |magazine=The New Yorker |date=2019-05-20 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/05/20/climate-change-and-the-new-age-of-extinction |access-date=2019-05-13}}
*[http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/39621/summ ''Rafetus swinhoei'' - IUCN Red List of Threatened Species]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060927221254/http://nytts.org/vietnam/news/TCEP-2-2.htm In Search of ''Rafetus swinhoei'' - Turtle Conservation Vietnam]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/jun/01/endangeredspecies.animalbehaviour?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront It's love or bust for Yangtze turtles - The Observer]
*Picture [[:th:ภาพ:Rafetus thanh hoar.jpg]]
{{Trionychidae}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1075096}}

[[Category:Rafetus]]
[[Category:Critically endangered fauna of Asia]]
[[Category:Turtles of Asia]]
[[Category:Reptiles of China]]
[[Category:Reptiles of Vietnam]]
[[Category:Fauna of Yunnan]]
[[Category:Reptiles described in 1873]]
[[Category:Taxa named by John Edward Gray]]
[[Category:Critically endangered fauna of China]]